Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Psychology and Sociology

Freud's Psychogenic Theory

Sigmund Freud, a prominent psychogenic theorist, proposed that the human personality is shaped by three distinct influences:

The Id

• The Id represents the primal drives and impulses of the child.
• It is the only part of the personality that functions at birth.

The Ego

• The Ego develops during infancy and mediates between the Id and the external world.
• It seeks to satisfy the Id's impulses in a socially acceptable manner.

The Superego

• The Superego emerges around the age of 4-5 years.
• It represents the moral conscience and instills a sense of guilt.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism, pioneered by John Watson and B.F. Skinner, emphasizes the study of observable behaviors (stimuli and responses).

Skinner believed that learning occurs through reinforcement... Continue reading "Understanding Human Development: A Comprehensive Guide to Theories and Influences" »

Exclusion and Poverty

Poverty and Inequality

Defining Poverty

Poverty is a complex issue with various dimensions:

• Absolute Poverty: Lack of essential resources to meet basic needs like food, shelter, education, and healthcare.
• Relative Poverty: Having an income level below the societal average, even if basic needs are met.

Measuring Poverty

• Absolute Poverty: Establishing a fixed poverty line applicable to all locations.
• Relative Poverty: Comparing a specific group's income to the rest of the population.

Poverty as a Lack of Ability

Poverty should be viewed as a deprivation of basic abilities, often linked to income. While income is a crucial factor, it's not the sole determinant of one's capabilities.

The Relationship Between Income and Ability

Understanding... Continue reading "Social Exclusion and Poverty: An Abilities-Based Approach" »

Job Analysis

Definition and Approaches

Job analysis is the process of defining a job in terms of its tasks or duties, and the knowledge or skills required to perform them. There are two main approaches to job analysis:

• Job-oriented approaches: These approaches describe the various tasks that are performed in a job.
• Worker-oriented approaches: These approaches examine the broad human behaviors involved in work activities.

KSAOs

KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) are the attributes required for successful job performance.

Outcomes of Job Analysis

• Job description: A statement of what jobholders do, how they do it, and why.
• Job specifications: A delineation of the KSAOs necessary to perform a job.

Importance of Job Analysis

Job... Continue reading "Job Analysis and Performance Measurement in Industrial Psychology" »

Core Concepts in Psychology: Questions and Answers

Motivation and Physiological Needs

1. Motivation is defined as: A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior towards a goal. (B)

2. Professor Sanford explains the organization of needs, such as the need for physical safety, within a hierarchy of motives. (D)

3. Prisoners of war placed on a starvation diet tend to spend a great deal of time daydreaming about food. (E)

4. Research on obesity and weight control indicates that once we become fat, our body often adapts, requiring less food (fewer calories) to maintain that weight compared to someone who has never been obese. (E)

Sexual Response and Social Behavior

4. Secretion of the female hormone, estrogen, peaks during ovulation. (D)

5. The ability of humans to

Dissociative Disorders and Identity

Dissociative Fugue

Sudden, unexpected travel away from home or one’s customary place of work with an inability to recall one’s past.

Associated Features of Dissociative Fugue

• Confusion about personal identity or assumption of a new identity.
• Semantic and procedural memory remain intact.
• Very rare.
• Often serves as a defense against overwhelming stress.

Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important personal information that cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.

Associated Features of Dissociative Amnesia

• Episodic/autobiographical memory is impaired.
• Loss is (usually) reversible.
• Procedural and semantic memory remain intact.
• Lasts from days to weeks (rarely, years).

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Formerly... Continue reading "Clinical Definitions of Dissociative, Sexual, and Somatic Disorders" »

Defining Stress: A Complex Reaction

Stress is a complex series of reactions, both psychological and physical, in response to demanding or threatening situations.

What Are Stressors? Events Causing Demands

Stressors are events that produce physical and psychological demands on a person.

Common Types of Stressors Categorized

Types of stressors include:

• Environmental: Such as heat, noise.
• Physiological: Such as drugs, tobacco.
• Emotional: Such as pressures, life events.

Signs of Being Stressed: Typical Manifestations

Typically, people who are stressed out may show signs such as:

• Eating too much food.
• Abusing substances.
• Having difficulty focusing attention, making decisions, or sleeping.

Key Human Responses to Stress

Responses to stress can be:

• Psychological
• Cognitive
• Emotional
• Behavioral

Selye'

The Four Subfields of Anthropology

The four subfields of anthropology - and how applied anthropology fits in:

1) Biological anthropology

2) Cultural anthropology

3) Linguistic anthropology

4) Archaeology

- Applied anthropology draws on information provided by the other four specialties.

Anthropology: Holistic and Comparative

Athropology as Holistic and Comparitive

Holistic: Anthropologists integrate all that is known about humans and their activities.

Comparative: Anthropologists examine similarities and differences between human societies.

Labwork vs Fieldwork

- Labwork involves spending time in a lab testing and analyzing, 

- Fieldwork typically involves an extended stay with a local community

The Concept of Culture

Culture Concept

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